Weekly Recap 12/12/18

WEEKLY RECAP: COMMUNITY UPDATE

Save The Crew Updates

Judge Brown’s ruling

The show must go on! The PSV/MLS motion to dismiss was denied. Judge Brown released over 50-pages explaining his reasoning and stated, “planting oneself in the seats of the sports team’s home venue imbeds a common root that unites and sprouts a forest of fans growing from the same soil” [#RespectYourRoots #SaveTheCrew]. The next phase in the case is the discovery phase. However, with a sale close, it is likely that the course of the case will change soon.

MAPFRE Stadium rebirth

Mapfre Stadium, the first professional soccer-specific stadium, and home of the Columbus Crew since 1999 will be getting quite the makeover. The plan, set forth by the Haslam/Edwards family along with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department will lead the effort to redevelop the site into a shared-use Community Sports Park. The sports park, will bring forth many benefits to the surrounding areas. It will provide park access to the 200,000 residents who live in a 3-mile radius, including Milo Grogan, Linden, Old North Columbus and Weinland Park, where youth will now have access and opportunity to needed sports fields. The complex is expected to include eight indoor basketball courts, two full-size indoor soccer fields, six or more outdoor athletic fields, two MLS-caliber practice fields for the Crew, and additional green space. Additionally, the new development will provide an estimated 430 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs once it opens.

Columbus Crew Stadium

Last week, the Columbus Crew’s potential new ownership group presented their plans for the future home of the Crew at Save The Crew business ally, Land-Grant Brewing. Along with the Community Sports Park at the current location of Mapfre Stadium, the ownership group plans to build a new downtown stadium next to Huntington Park. The proposed stadium is expected to cost around $230-million, have a capacity of 20,000, and will sit on a 33-acre site which will also include a riverfront park, with nearly 1,000 new residence units and office and commercial space. This site will be known as “Confluence Village”. The term “confluence” is perfect for the area, as it means “the junction of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width.” The Columbus Council passed the memorandum of understanding for the project by a 6-0 vote. This allows the city to contribute $50 million towards site development, land, and infrastructure for the stadium.

In toto, the ownership group led by the Haslam & Edwards families, will invest about $645 million for the team, stadium, philanthropy, training facility, and neighborhood development. The MLS Commissioner has been very pleased with the progress being made and stated, “To ensure the long-term success of Crew SC, and for the Club to remain in Columbus, a critical component of our discussions has been plans for a new stadium, as well as increased fan and corporate support. We hope to see these essential elements finalized soon. While there is work to be completed, we commend Mayor Ginther, Alex Fischer, the City, the County, and all who are engaged in this process, which we believe will deliver great benefits to Crew fans and the Columbus community for generations to come.” We can’t wait until the deal is finalized and the team operating rights are fully transferred to the new ownership group.

Zack Steffen To Manchester City

Our #1 GK will be completing his move overseas on July 9, 2019. The move for the Crew shot-stopper sets the record for an MLS keeper. The transfer, which is expected to be “between £7 million and £10 million” per ESPN, allows Zack to stay with the Crew until the second transfer window in July. We give Zack a Massive Thank-You, and congratulate him on his success. We are beyond pleased that his time with the Crew earned his passage to one of Europe’s top teams.

State Legislature helps build the new Crew

Today, the Ohio House voted on a bill to approve $15 million to help build the new stadium. Lawmakers state that the appropriation would trigger the “Art Modell Law” and help to prevent relocation of a team with the use of public investments. Representative Mike Duffey stated, “It’s state money, financial assistance going directly into the stadium.” The Ohio Senate is expected to decide on the appropriation this week.